>Doug Henwood wrote:
>
>> uvj at vsnl.com wrote:
>>
>>> I am simply questioning the popular Leftwing idea that capitalist
>>>development in the "Third World" is very difficult
>
>>> Well it is very difficult, isn't it? I agree that a lot of
>>>leftists think the "Third World" is nothing but a hopeless case,
>>>but despite the improvement in the Indian social indicators and
>>>the 20-year average of near-6% growth, the country is still in a
>>>deep hole.>>
>
>What does that mean exactly? Where is Cuba, btw? Is it above the ground?
It means that India has lots and lots of very poor people. According to the World Bank, which is often criticized for lowballing these numbers, 35% of the pop lives on less than $1 a day, and 81% on less than $2. For China, it's 17% and 47% respectively - roughly half India's levels.
And Cuba is quite poor. They've done a good job with what they've gotten, but they haven't gotten much.
Doug